


We Can Be Special Again

by sakurasprigs



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Banter, Canon Compliant, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Requited Love, Wingwoman Carla, post-episode 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 00:40:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30013449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakurasprigs/pseuds/sakurasprigs
Summary: “But you know, we’re not alone. Right, Kaoru?”There was a faint clink of the wine glasses, but Kaoru could barely hear it over his heart thudding in his ears. Kojiro’s voice was so soft and affectionate… he had never heard him that way before.OrCarla plays a recording of that night to Kaoru in the hospital. He realizes that his feelings towards Kojiro might not be what he initially thought.
Relationships: Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Kudos: 161





	We Can Be Special Again

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this sitting in my computer for a while, so might as well post it now before the new episode comes out and makes it irrelevant!  
> Takes place post-episode 9.  
> Also if you're one of my friends that found my Ao3 account and you see this... no you didn't.

“Ugh… where am I?” Kaoru groaned as he sat up in the bed and rubbed at his eyes. Well, he tried to, but he quickly realized that one of his arms was in a sling. He ran his free hand through his hair and squinted into the dark room. _Oh, it’s the hospital._ “Carla, what time is it?” 

“It is 1:16 in the morning,” responded the AI. 

Kaoru groaned again and flopped back down onto the mattress. Shutting his eyes tight, he mentally re-lived everything that happened that day. He finally got to skate against Adam, his old friend. Despite Kojiro’s warnings, he thought it would be fine. After all, they once were friends, so Adam wouldn’t hurt them, right? 

Tears pricked at his eyes as he remembered what happened next. They were skating, everything was fine. Kaoru was winning. If he won, he could finally prove that he’d moved on from Adam, prove that Adam was wrong. But time seemed to slow as he watched his ex-friend, his first love, wield his skateboard and swing directly at Kaoru’s head, cementing his worst fears. The old Adam was gone. Kaoru was truly alone. 

He was slipping in and out of consciousness as he was taken to the hospital. He barely even remembered who it was that took him out of Crazy Rock and to the ambulance. All he remembered was the pain in his skull, the numbness of his fingers, and a pair of warm, strong arms cradling him, keeping him grounded. He remembered crying, mourning his memories with Adam and… 

_Kojiro._ Kojiro was there. He was the pair of arms that carried him to the ambulance. He was the one who gently brushed the tears from his cheeks, comforting him. 

“Master, I am sensing an elevated heart rate. Shall I call a nurse?” 

“No, Carla. I’m fine.” Kaoru sighed, rubbing the coarse fabric of the bedsheet between his fingers. _The bedsheets at Kojiro’s place are much softer…_ He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. _Great, now I’m getting sentimental about that muscle-headed gorilla. Must be the pain meds. I need to go to sleep._ “Carla, could you play something to help me sleep?” 

“Okay, Master.” 

Kaoru laid back in the bed and shut his eyes to listen to whatever Carla decided to play. “Are you an idiot? Sneaking out of the hospital like that…” 

He snapped upwards and glared at the machine. “Carla! Why are you making me listen to that gorilla? He’s not going to help me sleep!” 

“No problem. It’s only a scratch.” 

“This was literally a few hours ago! I was there!” 

“You’re looking like a mummy.” 

“Carla, stop!” 

The machine continued to ignore his requests. “An honorable wound. You haven’t gone up against Adam, after all.” 

Kaoru reluctantly laid back down in the bed. Carla was clearly not listening to him. And despite what he said, Kojiro’s voice was more calming to him than he’d like to admit. The recording of their conversation continued exactly as Kaoru remembered it. They bickered for a bit, then they discussed Snow. He and Reki were eerily similar to Adam and Kaoru, in a way. He hoped they didn’t end up the same, though. 

Their musings about the two other skaters were cut off when Kaoru noticed that the bottle of wine on the counter was empty, ordering Kojiro to get a new one. 

_Oh yeah,_ thought Kaoru. _This is when I fell asleep._ But the recording still continued, so he kept listening. 

“Is a white okay? A Lafite—” Kaoru snorted quietly, figuring out that Joe must have realized that he had been asleep. _I wonder what stupid thing he’s going to say when I can’t hear._

Kojiro sighed deeply, and the recording faintly picked up the pouring of wine into the glasses. “Adam is currently skating all by himself. He’s an amazing skater, but I’m sure he’s not happy right now. That’s why his skating ended up that way.” 

_That’s… awfully deep for a musclehead. I would have thought that he’d just make fun of me._ Kaoru suddenly realized that he was extremely aware of the recorded Kojiro’s voice. 

“But you know, we’re not alone. Right, Kaoru?” 

There was a faint clink of the wine glasses, but Kaoru could barely hear it over his heart thudding in his ears. Kojiro’s voice was so soft and affectionate… he had never heard him that way before. Wait, no, that’s a lie. He had heard him like that before. When Kojiro carried Kaoru out of Crazy Rock the day before, when Kaoru got sick last year and Kojiro brought him soup, when Kaoru confessed to Adam and got rejected… he had that voice. He was never like that with anyone else, not with any of the other skaters, not with the women he kept on each arm, never with Adam. It was always Kaoru. 

Kaoru took a shaky breath in and pressed a hand to chest, attempting and failing to steady himself. “We’re not alone. Right, Kaoru?” The words echoed in his brain. “We’re not alone… We’re not alone… Not alone… Right, Kaoru…?” 

Kaoru had been in love with Adam in high school. He knew that. His skating was enchanting, and Adam himself was everything a high school boy could have dreamed of. When they fought, Kaoru had made the mistake of shouting out that he liked him. Adam’s laughter and bitter words in response hadn’t just hurt, they had burned. He had gone crying to Kojiro after the falling out, who let him sob into his shirt for what felt like hours. Amongst the tears, Kaoru remembers declaring that he would never fall in love again. After all, if Adam wouldn’t even stay, then who would? Why bother falling in love if he would just end up alone anyways? And yet… 

“We’re not alone. Right, Kaoru?” Kojiro was right, they weren’t alone. Despite everything, Kojiro had stayed. And despite Kaoru’s declaration in high school, he had fallen in love again. He had fallen in love when his classmate let him cry into his shirt. He had fallen in love when his friend made fun of him for creating an AI skateboard. He had fallen in love when his travel buddy drunkenly danced with him in a bar in Paris. And he had fallen in love when a soft voice reminded him that he wasn’t alone while he was asleep and couldn’t even hear it. 

Silent tears slid down his face and soaked into the pillow. Kaoru chuckled quietly. His face and chest felt like they were on fire. _I love him, I love him, I love him._

“Master, I am sensing an elevated heart rate again. Shall I call a nurse?” 

“Carla, I’m fine.” He took a deep breath in but was then struck with a thought. _What if he doesn’t love me back?_

The logical side of him knew that there was no other explanation for why Kojiro stayed despite the constant fighting and bickering. But his anxious side wasn’t so forgiving. 

After all, why would Kojiro love him back? He’s constantly surrounded by women; wouldn’t he naturally love one of them? He might not even be into guys! And even if he was, why would he be into Kaoru of all people? All Kaoru ever does is berate him and call him a gorilla. Not once has he helped Kojiro or provided a shoulder to lean on, why would anyone love Kaoru? 

“Master, I am sensing shortness of breath and heart palpitations, shall I call a nurse?” 

Kaoru tugged at his hair and choked on his own tears. The clock on the wall was too loud, the sheets were too scratchy. His skin itched under his cast, his head throbbed, his body felt hot. The room was dark, but everything was too much. 

“Master, I am detecting a panic attack. Shall I call—" 

“Quiet Carla, I don’t care!” It took all of Kaoru’s willpower to not punch his beloved AI. He was hyperventilating, tears streaming down his face. His knuckles were white from gripping the bedsheets so hard, his nails leaving crescent-shaped imprints on the palms of his hands. In his head, all he could hear was the repeated mantra of his thoughts: _He doesn’t love you, he doesn’t love you, he doesn’t love you._

“Kaoru? Why are you calling, it’s two in the morning!” Kaoru’s eyes darted over to Carla, where a disgruntled voice was coming from her speakers. 

“K-Kojiro?” He could barely speak over his uneven breathing. 

Kojiro’s voice immediately lost its exhaustion. “Kaoru? Are you alright? I want you to breathe with me, okay?” He started counting out breaths, and Kaoru shakily did his best to follow. Eventually, his breathing started to even out. 

“Good job,” Kojiro said. “You’re doing great, I’m proud of you. Now, can you tell me your name?” 

“Sakurayashiki Kaoru.” 

“What do you do for work?” 

“Calligraphy.” 

“What is my name?” 

“Muscly gorilla.” 

“There you go. See? You’re okay.” Kaoru could hear the smile in Kojiro’s voice. “Do you want to talk about why you’re upset? Or do you just want a distraction?” Kaoru took one last shaky breath in. “I want… I want to sleep right now. Can I go to your restaurant tomorrow to talk, though?” 

Exhaling softly, Kojiro replied, “Of course. You know you don’t have to ask, right?” 

“I know.” 

“Good night, Kaoru.” 

“Good night, Kojiro.” 

Kaoru slept soundly all the way until morning. 

\--- 

The next evening, Kaoru barged into Kojiro’s restaurant after closing time, nearly bumping his wheelchair on the doorframe. “The nurses wouldn’t let me go all day,” he muttered. 

“Ah, you’re not sneaking out this time? How responsible,” Kojiro drawled, dripping with sarcasm. 

Kaoru smirked and rolled up to his regular spot, where the chair was already removed. “Like you would know anything about responsibility, you feeble-minded gorilla.” 

“Says the one who snuck out of the hospital in the first place!” 

The two glared at each other, faces inches apart. _Of all people, why did I have to fall in love with him,_ thought Kaoru. 

Kojiro sighed and leaned on the counter. “Well then? What did you want to talk about?” 

Feeling his face start to heat up, Kaoru stared at the table in front of him and fiddled with the ends of his hair. “Well, I couldn’t sleep last night, so I asked Carla to play something to help me relax.” 

Kojiro narrowed his eyes at the other man, nodding slightly. He was very clearly unsure about where the conversation was headed. 

“She played a recording of our conversation from last night,” Kaoru continued, still refusing to look at the man next to him. “So I heard what you said after I fell asleep.” 

“Oh.” Kaoru sneaked a glance at Kojiro, who was rubbing the back of his neck and blushing. “Look, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but—” 

“Shut up and let me finish!” Kaoru snapped. He took a deep breath to steady himself. _Well, here goes nothing._ “When I heard what you said, I realized something. You’ve always been here for me, and you stayed even when Adam left. So what I’m saying is that I…” His hands shook, and tears threatened to spill out of his eyes. He couldn’t say it. “I… you…” 

“Fuck,” Kojiro said, cutting Kaoru off. “I mean, uh, sorry. I just didn’t think you’d realize.” 

“Realize what?” 

“That I’m in love with you.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Kojiro clapped a hand over his mouth and turned away. “I’m going to go into the kitchen now okay bye!” 

“Kojiro!” Kaoru leaped forward to stop Kojiro, forgetting that he was currently confined to a wheelchair. He winced as he hurtled towards the ground, anticipating the dull thud of his head hitting the floor. But it never came. 

“Are you alright?” Kaoru was wrapped up in Kojiro’s arms again, who gently picked him up and placed him back in the wheelchair. “I thought you said you were the responsible one.” 

“I am very much the responsible one! Who was it that just accidentally admitted that they were in love with me two seconds ago?” he retorted. 

Groaning and running his hands through his hair, Kojiro said, “I know, you didn’t have to point it out again. Look, I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable, so if you want to leave…” 

“I’m not uncomfortable, Kojiro.” Kaoru sighed and rested his head on the table. “I’m not mad or anything either. When Carla played the recording of what you said last night, I… I realized that I’m in love with you too.” 

Kojiro blinked dumbly. “You’re joking.” 

“Why would I joke about something like this?” he snapped. “If you recall, Carla called you last night while I was literally having a panic attack because I thought you didn’t love me back.” 

“That’s why you were crying? You thought I didn’t love you back?” The two stared at each other for a second before Kojiro broke out into a wide grin. “Wow, you must be really dense then. I’ve literally been in love with you since high school.” 

Kaoru’s jaw dropped. “High school?! Why didn’t you tell me you bastard!” 

Rolling his eyes, Kojiro responded, “Well gee, maybe it was because you were madly in love with Adam and then swore off love altogether.” 

Kaoru plopped his head onto his arms. “Well, we’re stupid.” 

“Yeah, you really are.” 

“Hey! Feelings are complicated, okay? This is why I prefer Carla.” 

“Ah, you’d choose a robot over me? Maybe I don’t love you after all…” 

“I just figured out that I’m in love with you, don’t flake out now!” Kaoru grabbed Kojiro by the collar and pulled him in closer. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Nanjo Kojiro, will you be my boyfriend?” 

He let out a low whistle. “Wow, breaking out the full names?” Upon seeing Kaoru’s annoyed glare, he smiled and said, “Of course, Kaoru. I love you.” 

“I love you too,” he muttered. “Can I… can I kiss you?” 

“I thought you’d never ask.” 

Kojiro leaned in slowly, cradling Kaoru’s face with his hands, and pressed their lips together gently. The kiss was brief and tentative, like they were testing the waters before jumping in fully. After a mere second of contact, Kojiro pulled back. Both his and Kaoru’s faces were flushed, hearts fluttering in their chests. 

“Woah,” Kojiro said, dumbstruck. 

Kaoru smiled and tucked a lock of green hair behind Kojiro’s hair. “Is that all you got, gorilla?” 

Kojiro smirked and leaned back down to kiss him again. Kaoru would never be alone again. Not as long as Kojiro had a say in it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed!  
> Sk8 has been occupying my entire brain literally since it came out,,, my friends are probably tired of hearing me talk about it. :')  
> Tell me in the comments what you think is going to happen in episode 9.5!! (Why is it 9.5,,, if it's a recap I will be very upset.)


End file.
